Flint Township man ruffles feathers, but says his chickens won't go

Oscar Durand / The Flint JournalDrew Moses is fighting to keep his flock of 15 chickens at his Flint Township home.

FLINT TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- -- Drew Moses loves his chickens and he loves the U.S. Bill of Rights.

And the 23-year-old unemployed welder says he's ready to stand on principle to fight for his right to raise chickens in his backyard here.

"I'm more like a freedom fighter," said Moses, who is raising 15 chickens in a deluxe backyard coop off Dutcher Road. "I think we're losing our rights really quick. I'm not just going to lay down and let it happen. That's what too many people do."

Flint Township, meanwhile, says Moses is in violation of a local ordinance meant to discourage residents from raising livestock on property of less than 10 acres. He's been directed to get rid of the poultry or take his chances before the judge.

Moses, who lives on a double-wide residential lot -- "One of the bigger yards on the block" -- has a Sept. 10 court date.

"Yeah, I'll be there. I'm pretty much going to take my Constitution and I guess I'll read it to the prosecutor until he's on the same page with me," Moses said.

Moses admits this isn't his first run-in with authorities. He concedes that a previous enforcement visit triggered by unsightly yard debris had merit. The April violation was dropped when he complied and cleaned up the yard.

But he's scratched a line in the sand when it comes to his chickens.

"They don't walk in the road or nothing like that. They pretty much know their boundaries. The only thing they really do is come running toward me looking for food all the time," he said.

That's not all they do, however, according to township code enforcement officer Jerry Whitacre.

Whitacre says he has nothing against chickens; he is simply enforcing what's written. Under section 3.16 of Ordinance 5500, chickens in residential neighborhoods are out of luck.

"We've had complaints from neighbors, listening to rooster crowing in the morning," Whitacre said.

Moses resides in the Dutcher Road house his grandmother has lived in for 52 years. They share space with Moses' girlfriend and cousin. The house is just down the road from the Corunna Road Wal-Mart and the heart of the township's humming commercial area.

Moses says he's raising the chickens so he can grow organic brown eggs to eat.

Stephen Johnson, who lives next door, says he doesn't have any complaint with Moses' chickens. They used to amble into his yard, Johnson said, but Moses took care of the problem by filling in the fenced enclosure on the side of the property they share.

Moses and his cousin Chris Walter found the chickens on Craig's List this spring and traveled to Chesaning to buy them from a chicken farmer. They built a coop out of scrap pallet wood, with a raised, curved ramp and a new push-up window that serves as access.

"Drew's really attached to the chickens," Walter said. Moses is continuing to nurse back to health in his bedroom a chicken that was attacked by a dog, but survived.

The alleged violation is considered a civil infraction and fines could be levied. Not too long ago Whitacre made a deal with another chicken-raising homeowner to avoid prosecution.

"They understood and I allowed them to destroy one chicken at a time. They were going to eat them. I said, 'I can work with you. That's fine.'"

In Moses' case, his grandmother, as property owner, would be stuck with any fines, Whitacre said.

Helen Rossetter, 80, said she would like her grandson to keep his chickens. She's willing to await an outcome before the court.

"He's really proud of them, the chickens," she said. "They follow him around and he takes good care of them.